War and occupation
The illegal US war against Iraq and the occupation of the country have soon been going on for longer than World War II, and with disastrous consequences: around 600,000 Iraqis have died and four million have become refugees outside and inside the country. Terrorism and fundamentalism have flourished. Before the war, people did not categorise each other after Sunni or Shiite, and Arab or Kurd. Today, the gulfs between people are widening. Even worse, the US foreign policy encourages these growing conflicts and tensions by their classification of civilians along ethnic and religious lines, and advocates a division of the country into three autonomous parts. Divide and rule seems to be the guiding principle.
Torture is being practiced on a routine basis by the occupants, officially legalised and sanctioned by the Bush administration. Illegal weapons like cluster bombs, white phosphore, and radioactive weapons containing “depleted uranium” (DU) are being used in indiscriminate bombings in which whole cities have been destroyed. The weapons have both immediate and long-lasting catastrophic effects on the people and the natural environment.
The national cultural heritage is also being threatened. After the invasion in 2003, the Bagdad National Museum was plundered. The ancient Sumerian city of Ur was bombed as early as 1991, and an air base has since then been built close by. Close to historic Babylon, there are helipad and parking lots, heavy military traffic, and trenches. The aim of this war is hardly the restoration of democracy, but rather control and exploitation of the country.
It is sometimes said that the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq will not solve all problems. No, but the withdrawal is a precondition for the building of democracy, social welfare, and national independence, and the reconstruction of infrastructure and social welfare. This war-ravaged country cannot begin to recuperate unless the US leaves the country. The Iraqi people are perfectly capable of solving their own problems. SISK therefore demands,
- The immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq
- No Swedish support to the US war in Iraq